Little Big Girl ~ on hold

chapter 3

The bell had just rung about five minutes ago and I was currently on my way to the parking lot. I can't wait to just go home and enjoy my day off with Ariel. But first I needed to go pick her up and then go grocery shopping seeing as there is literally nothing to eat at the house. I was just closing the door when my old galaxy 3 started to ring. I looked down at the cracked screen and saw I was getting a call from an unsaved number, I hesitantly pressed the screen to answer the call.

"Hello you are receiving a call from an inmate at..... George county detention center to accept this call press one." I followed the mechanical voices instructions and pressed one.

"Hello?"

"Hey baby!"

"Hey daddy! You haven't called me in a while it feels good to hear from you!" I said to my dad.

"I know baby I tried I really did but wardens put the whole block on lock down, no calls in or out."

"Why'd they lock it down?"

"They busted a couple of idiots with some drugs and a few of sharp objects nothing new." He said nonchalantly.

"How's ya mom and sister doing." He asked me.

"Mom is....mom, and Ariel is doing as good as the circumstances allow her to be, at least she's happy." I said looking down at my hands.

"Are you happy?" I started to speak but my voice wavered a little so I cleared my throat and tried again.

"Yeah I'm great, never better." I lied. It was a bold faced lie, I knew it and he did to. I could never lie to my father he could always read me like a book. Even if he wasn't there in person.

"Don't lie to me," he said sternly. "I know you're not happy Bell, tell me the truth how are you really doing?" I scoffed.

"You wanna know how I'm really doing? Well let's see umm I live in this crappy apartment I'm working 39 hours a week plus overtime because I have to pay for the light bill, water bill, rent not to mention the land lord raised my rent by 300 dollars this month! I have to pay for Ariel's daycare, food, clothes, car payments, AND take care of an addict mother who will sleep with any man with two legs," I was yelling now and it felt good to have some release. "I'm not even mentioning MY needs or the fact that I'm graduating in seven months and might not even walk across the stage because of the amount of dept I have, I'm going to need to find another job and that might not even be enough." I was crying now. I didn't know I was crying till I tasted the saltiness in my mouth. "I'm just tired, it wasn't supposed to be like this for me, what did I do to deserve this? I just want to be happy." My dad was quiet for a while before he responded.

"I'm sorry," he said it so quietly I almost didn't hear him. "This is my fault if I had never gotten locked up it would be so different for us, we would be happy, a family." I just stayed quiet and listened to what he had to say.

"if you would just let me give you some money you wouldn't have to struggle." I sighed,

"Dad we've been over this I'm not taking drug money from you to support me and Ariel." Even though my dad was locked he still had his connections.

"It's not drug money bell."

"Then where is it coming from huh!?"

He was silent because he wouldn't tell me.

"Exactly, and even if it isn't drug money it's still something illegal otherwise you would tell me what it is, and you can't even deny it, can you?" it wasn't so much of question but a statement.

"You have one minute left." Said the mechanical voice.

"Listen baby I know you don't trust me like I want you to... but at least think about it, I don't want you and your sister to be struggling anymore. I want you to be able to afford the finest and the best of the best."